Jun 21, 2001 02:28 PM
5812 Views
Going to United States has become a sort of a norm now-a-days. Almost any Tom, Dick and Harry aspires to be in United States, and rightly so, coz an American degree is an American degree and usually means much more..., and means something more advanced than an Indian degree.
Alas!! it is not so, and without proper survey of colleges, one might end up in a college which would seem worser than the college u were in. Well, first and foremost, I will like to specify that, this article is written keeping in mind, an average guy/girl, with a decent aggregate of 60-65%, who can score around quite decently in tests (like 1800-2100 in gre), and yes, who can afford it atleast for the first year!
When to Go?
One of the most important questions that arise is when to actually go to U.S to study. Ideally, ofcourse any body would like to go there after finishing their 12th, but I do view it differently. Going to U.S for a 4 year bachelors degree can prove to be a expensive option. First of all a clear cut selection of colleges has to be made. No one wants to get into a bogus college.
One of the dis-advantages in going to U.S to pursue a BTech degree is, most (not all) of the colleges dont allow students to work after their college. Ofcourse, the highly intelligent ones will get financial aid, but for the less intelligent people this factor becomes a little more important. Hence, an overhead cost is surely going to occur on this. However if u can afford it, then its surely good to go early.
I believe that students should go there to pursue their graduate degree (post-graduation as we know it better) rather than under-graduate degree. One advantage of this is, after having already completed the under-graduate studies here, one is almost sure of what he/she wants to study further and what he/she wants to specialize. Moreover, many colleges do allow working outside the campus for graduate students, so that atleast they can cut some overhead costs. It does mean a lot.
College Selection?
Remember that the colleges are not just looking at your academics and exam scores, but they are looking forward for something more interesting in you, which everyone has the chance to explain in their application essay, or what is known as statement of purpose. The application essay really counts a lot, as the essay will be able to tell what kind of person u are likely are to be. Take care that the essay especially covers what u want to do in the college. Also mention why u made up your mind to choose the particular field ( be very careful about this, and dont be afraid to write, why and which incidents in your life made u go in the field and so on..).
A careful selection of colleges should be made. The selection will ofcourse depend on what can u score in gre and toefl exams. I mean, its no use applying to stanford with 90% aggregate in B.E and score of 1500 in gre. Remember, though academics do count, the real thing is the gre and toefl exams and believe me, sometimes toefl scores count more than the gre!. Also many a time, people with relatively good scores in sat and toefl, do apply for grade-b or grade-c schools, and thereby under-estimating their own chances of getting admission in good colleges.
Make sure that the recommendation letters u get are from people who hold quite good positions themselves...(like h.o.d of dept, asst.prof, prof, but not lecturers!). Of course, any employed may also take the employers recommendation letters. Next important thing in admission for grade school is the essay again. It has to be GOOD and there are no two ways about it.
After a careful selection is made, a thought should be given about the deadlines of applications. Though many colleges give May or June as their fall application deadline, if u want financial aid, u have to apply before january 15th! again, it should be seen that the department u choose requires additional advanced or subject gre or not, many colleges offering computer SCIENCE for M.S degree require gre subject test, while computer ENGINEERING does not require subject test ( something which even I havent understood why!).
Pre-Application?
Many A grade colleges require you send a pre-application packet to them. This is most usually done online itself. Seeing the pre-application, the college authorities decide whether one is eligible to apply to that college. Some universities have strict cut off policies than others. Of course most of the times, pre application is not required, but top colleges do.
Application?
Anyway after selecting the colleges, u should apply. Remember one thing, if your gre scores do manage to come exceptionally good, then u should apply to top 20 colleges. The rankings of such colleges can be found in usnews.com. information about all the colleges, their departments and what their research areas are well found on sites like https://petersons.com, gradschools.com, allaboutgradschool.com, though petersons is the best. Normally every college has its own website, so finding about your choice of program shouldnt be a problem.
There are also online forums available at https://usnews.com which facilitate students to post their queries regarding admissions and get information about them. Take care to apply to good colleges, I stress this point again, coz some colleges in US, will accept you, even if u have stood last in your class and you have a hopeless gre, toefl scores.
Post-Admission
After admission process is over, u will get a visa from the college (normally I-20, if accepted) and this is the tricky part!. One will normally end up with a few I-20s f rom various colleges and then it becomes confusing as to where to go. If one has financial aid, then that college is the best bet! And then comes the VISA part!!!! For u should have all your stars at the right place and, lady luck should be very glad towards you, so that the US embassy in India, accepts your visa. Believe me, the acceptance of visa is a big activity and it is here that toefl scores count. The embassy people are less likely to be interested in you, if u have a very less toefl scores and then if u do get the visa, and complete the formalities, there is only one thing left....pack the bags and get set to fly to US!!
Though I have tried my best to cover aspects related to admissions in US to best of my knowledge, there may be many aspects which are not mentioned here. But nonetheless, I hope this gives a general perspective of the things.
Chau!
